If you've read the last two posts you know I admired Brandon Tartikoff's show business acumen, sense of humor, grace under pressure, and leadership skills. What I admired most about Brandon Tartikoff was his courage.
Tartikoff contracted Hodgkin's disease at age 23. He beat cancer then, but suffered a relapse at age 31, the year he was named President of NBC Entertainment. He didn't let a little thing like cancer and chemotherapy stop him. He took chemotherapy treatments, got a wig, and kept going to work. His illness wasn't made public -- Only a few people at NBC knew. Could I have achieved what he did if I was suffering from cancer? I hope I don't have to find out.
Tartikoff left NBC in 1992 for the new challenge of heading Paramount Pictures. NBC continued on top for awhile under Tartikoff's able deputy, Warren Littlefield. Eventually new people came to head the Entertainment Division and the company. NBC's viewership declined and the network fell to fourth place behind Fox, CBS, and ABC.
During his second year at Paramout, Tartikoff's wife and daughter were badly hurt in a car crash. He left his high profile job to spend more time with them. He eventually got back into television working for various companies creating and pitching shows to networks. It was in that capacity that I finally met my hero for a few minutes at a NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executive) conference in 1997. I was in charge of programming for Golf Channel and Brandon Tartikoff pitched an idea to me for a golf comedy show. I still have the one page pitch in my files. I don't know what it meant to him, but it meant I had arrived in the big time.
Tartikoff passed away not too long after that convention, at the young age of 48. Cancer finally killed his body, but it can never erase his legacy.
The most important lessons I learned from Brandon Tartikoff are: 1) Do work you love. 2) Make time with family and friends 3) Keep learning and challenging yourself to get better 4) Do your work and life your life with joy.
Are you spending time working toward your dream? If not, why not? How do you want to be remembered?
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